Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Managers vs. Bosses

Managers are different than the bosses of 50 years ago. No longer do managers tell people what to do and reprimand those who do not do it. Managers are looked at as leaders to educate, guide, train, support, motivate and coach employees rather than tell them what to do every moment of the day. Is a manager different than a leader? It depends on the manager. Managers that are leaders create visions for employees and appreciate them as a knowledge worker. Director Managers dictate and micro manage employees in daily tasks. In my current position as an Internet Marketing Director I manage some employees that are international. It has taught me to think more as a visionary. I need to share with them the overall vision of the project. I am unable to micro-manage their daily work day because I am not even awake when they are working on the project. At the start of the project we discuss the vision, time frame, and goals of the projects and then I tend to coach and guide. I worked for one visionary principal when I was a teacher. She always shared her vision and goals with her staff openly. She was available for coaching, guidance, support, and most importantly to motivate. I have never worked as hard for any other “boss” than her. She retired two years ago and had over 600 people attend her retirement. She was a true visionary leader and I hope that I can offer the leadership with those I work with that she offered me.

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